Magna man arrested for obstruction of justice in attempted murder case

SPRINGVILLE, Utah (ABC4) – A Magna man was arrested and now faces obstruction of justice charges after he reportedly lied to police about details of an attempted murder in Springville.

Dervis Sanchez Morales, 32, was arrested Tuesday morning. Police say he failed to provide information and lied when he said he didn’t know where the victim’s cell phone was.

According to a probable cause statement, officers responded to an attempted murder in Springville on Oct. 13. According to officials, the victim, who was only a 35-year-old man, was shot three times. He was taken to an area hospital and was expected to recover there.

Police said they were unable to find the victim’s cell phone while searching the crime scene. Police spoke with a witness later identified as Sanchez Morales. According to police, he was with the victim at the time of the incident. The officers asked if they knew where the phone might be, he stated he didn’t know.

Police said they obtained a search warrant for the victim’s phone records. During that search, they learned that the victim’s phone was shown to police on October 13 at approximately 7:20 p.m. At this point, Sanchez Morales was interviewed by police at the police department. The next morning, the victim’s phone rang again at a location in Magna.

Springville police interviewed Sanchez Morales again Tuesday morning and held him at the department for further questioning. He again told police he had no idea where the victim’s phone was. Police said they told Sanchez Morales that they had information about the phone’s location, but he continued to deny knowledge of the matter.

Police arrested Sanchez Morales and booked him into the Utah County Jail on the above charges.